Pivot means for folding doors

ABSTRACT

A pivot pin assembly mounted on the top and bottom of a folding door for engagement with pivot sockets mounted in an overhead track and on the floor provides for unyielding vertical adjustment of the bottom pivot assembly and a vertically yieldable movement of the upper pin assembly to provide continuous bearing engagement between pin and socket even though the top of the door does not remain parallel to the overhead track throughout the range of movement of the door.

United States Patent 1191 Johnson Apr. 23, 1974 [54] PIVOT MEANS FOR FOLDING DOORS 3,511,300 5 /1970 Matyas 160/206 Inventor: Leonard E. J 7 q a a 1,026,035 5/1912 Hedden 151/69 Rd., Elkhart, Ind. 46514 t Przmary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay 1 Flledi P 1972 Assistant Examiner-Kenneth J. Dorner [211 App. NOJ 287,893 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James L. OBrien 52 us. c1. 16/134 7] A R [51] Int. Cl E05d 7/04 A pivot'pin assembly mounted on the top d bottom [58] Field of Search 16/134, 130, 151, 159, of a folding door for engagement with pivot sockets 16/185 105; 160/206 199; Isl/69; mounted in an overhead track and on the floor pro- 85/32 K vides for unyielding vertical adjustment of the bottom pivot assembly and a vertically yieldable movement of [56] References c'ted the .upper pin assembly to provide continuous bearing- UNITED STATES PATENTS engagement between pin and socket even though the 3,597,790 8/1971 Kellems et a1. 16/151 p of the d o d es not remain parallel to the over- 1,256,667 2/1918 Douglass 16/151 head-track throughout the range of movement of the 3,592,257 7/1971 Matyasm," 160/206 door, 3,221,804 12/1965 Rudn1ck.... 160/206 3,233,657 2/1966 Kirby 160/206 2 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PIVOT MEANS FOR FOLDING DOORS The present invention is an improvement over my earlier folding door supporting means disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 3,206,794 and 3,583,464. As shown in my earlier patents the folding doors are suspended from an overhead track by pivot means secured to members mounted in the track. A special jamb bracket engages the bottom pivot pin in such a way that a large clearance is not required between the top of the door and the overhead track to permit the door to be installed.

The supporting means shown in my prior patents are relatively expensive and do not readily accommodate for variations in distance between the top of the door and the overhead track throughout the range of movement of the folding doors.

It is an object of the present invention to provide pivotal supporting and guarding means for folding doors which will accommodate variations in distance between the top of the doors and an overhead track throughout the range of door movement, and which maintains bearing engagement of the supporting and guarding means even with slight misalignment.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pivotalsupporting and guarding means which may be easily installed and adjusted and which is simple in construction.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1, is an elevation view of a folding door mounted on pivots embodying the present invention,

. FIG. 2, is an enlarged view partially in section of Section *A" of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3, is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4, is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5, is a view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 6, is an enlarged view partially in section of Section 8" of FIG. 1,

FIG. 7, is a sectional view taken along line 77 of FIG. 1, and j FIG. 8, is a sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, numeral 10 designates a pair of folding doors, 12 a door jamb, the floor, 16 a header to which is attached an overhead track 18. The doors 10 are pivotally mounted with a top pivot 20, a bottom pivot 22 and a sliding pivot 24.

As best seen in FIG. 2, bottom pivot 22 comprises a pivot socket 26 having a convex bearing surface 28, a pivot pin 30 with a concave bearing surface 32 adapted to engage surface 28 in the pivot socket 26. The pivot socket 16 is mounted on a bracket 34 which is secured to jamb 12 by a screw 36 and to the floor 14 by a screw 38. Bracket 34 is formed with a slot 40 in which socket 26 is adjustably mounted by means ofa clamp 42 which engages a projection 44 formed on pivot socket 26.

Pivot pin 30 of bottom pivot 22 is threaded as at 45 and is mounted for axial movement in longitudinal bore 46 extending between the inner end 48 and the outer end 50 of body 52. A risiliant annular rib 54 is formed in bore 46 adjacent its outer end 50. A sleeve 56 having an annular ridge 58 of greater diameter than rib 54 is pressed into bore 46 with ridge 58 in engagement with the axial inner edge of resilient rib 54 whereby the sleeve is constrained against axially outer movement. Sleeve 56 is provided with an internally threaded head 60 which has a non circular or hexagon exterior surface. Bore 46 is formed with non circular cross section portion 62 extending inwardly from inner end 48. Pivot pin 30 is formed with an abutment 64 which is complimentary shaped to non annular portion 62 to prevent pin 30 from rotating. Thus rotation of head 60 of sleeve 56 through threaded engagement with pin 30 causes axial movement of pin 30 to permit vertical adjustment of pivot 22. j

The pivot body 52 is formed with a flange 66 extending radially outwardly from the outer end 50 from which depend a plurality of raised surfaces 68 which taper to termination intermediate the inner end 48 and outer end 50. As best seen in FIG. 3, each surface 68 has a straight'side 70 and an angular side 72. The raised surfaces 68 are disposed in pairs, three such pairs being shown in FIG. 3, with the angular sides 72 being adjacent in each pair.

Pivot body 52 is mounted in a bore 74 in the bottom of door 10 by driving the body into the bore 74 with the raised surfaces 68 extending into the door surrounding bore 74. The disposition of the raised surfaces 68 restrains the body 52 against rotation and prevents the body from loosening in the bore 74.

The top pivot 20 contains many parts of similar construction to those in the bottom pivot and similar parts will be designated bysiinilar numbers primed. The top pivot socket 26 is adjustably mounted in an overhead track 18 by means of a clamp 42.

The top pivot pin 76 is reciprocally mounted in sleeve 78 which is secured in bore 46 in body 52 in the same manner as sleeve 56 in bore 46. An abutment 80 is formed adjacent the inner end 48 of bore 46. A spring 82 mo'unted in bore 46' acts between abutment 80 and the inner end 84 of pivot pin 76 to urge the pivot pin abutment 64 outwardly in a direction to bring the abutment 64 into engagement with sleeve 78.

The sliding pivot 24 contains a pivot pin and body construction identical with that of top pivot 20. The sliding pivot socket 86 is grooves as at 88 to slidably receive ribs 90 of overhead track 1'78. The sliding pivot socket 86 has a convex bearing surface 28 which engages the concave bearing surface 32' on pivot pin '76.

As will be apparentfrom the foregoing description the door pivots of the present invention involves a very simple constructionwith considerable commonality of parts. The pivots permit the door to be easily installed and removed by merely depressing the top and sliding pivot pins 76 and 76 out of engagement with their respective sockets 26 and 86. The spring loaded sliding pivot pin 76' remains in bearing engagement with socket 86 throughout a range of variations in distance between the top of doors l0 and the overhead track 18. The bearing surface construction of the pins and sockets will accommodate a range of vertical misalignments. The vertical position of the door may be easily adjusted by rotating sleeve 56 to move the pin 30 axially.

Although only one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a door pivot for a folding door pivot means including a body with a pivot pin mounted for axial movement therein, said body having inner and outer ends and a longitudinal bore extending between said ends, a resilient annular rib formed in said bore adjacent said outer end, a sleeve having an annular ridge of greater diameter than the diameter of said rib mounted in said bore with said ridge in engagement with the axial inner edge of said rib whereby axial outer movement of said sleeve is restrained, and an abutment formed on said pivot pin for engagement with said sleeve when said pivot pin is in the extreme axial outbeing adjacent in each pair. 

1. In a door pivot for a folding door pivot means including a body with a pivot pin mounted for axial movement therein, said body having inner and outer ends and a longitudinal bore extending beTween said ends, a resilient annular rib formed in said bore adjacent said outer end, a sleeve having an annular ridge of greater diameter than the diameter of said rib mounted in said bore with said ridge in engagement with the axial inner edge of said rib whereby axial outer movement of said sleeve is restrained, and an abutment formed on said pivot pin for engagement with said sleeve when said pivot pin is in the extreme axial outward position.
 2. The door pivot of claim 1 wherein a flange extends radially outwardly from the outer end of said body and a plurality of raised surfaces depend from said flange and taper to termination intermediate said inner and outer ends of said body, said surfaces having a straight side and an angular side with said surfaces being disposed in pairs with the angular sides of said surfaces being adjacent in each pair. 